Fur is a Girl's Best Friend
by Starry-EyedandStormy
Summary: My version of Cruella's backstory, from her childhood through the movie and a bit afterwards. Family, tragedy, work, and fur. Lots of fur...
1. Prologue

**Well, here it is: Chapter 1 of the next story in my Disney Villains Backstories series! Enjoy!**

1950

Her new room was dark, and small, and uncomfortable, and... well the list could go on endlessly. Honestly! The bed was plain and hard, such a contrast to her large four-posted and red draped one at home which was plush and luxurious. There was nothing else in the room but a sink and the toilet. There wasn't even a mirror for her to look in! Outrageous! At least she had the room to herself. Oh, and what she had to wear! Though the black and white stripes matched her hair, the ensemble was not flattering in the least. And the shoes! How she wanted her red pointed-toe stilettos back! _But my coat! What have they done with my beautiful fur coat?_

All at once she was consumed with her rage again. She ran to the bars that formed an entire wall of her square cell and rattled them furiously. "YOU IDIOTS, YOU IMBECILES, YOU, YOU, YOOOUUU-!" She screamed, her insults eventually becoming an earsplitting screech. Not that it mattered. The two people she was insulting were in a completely different wing of the prison, seeing as she was in the women's half, and they were men. Eventually, two guards came with a doctor. The guards grabbed her roughly, and held her by her arms while the doctor took out a syringe and painfully injected something into her arm. She squirmed and screeched all the while, until the injection took hold, and she fell to the floor unconscious. The guards placed her on the bed and left with the doctor, locking the door behind them.

"Well, doc-tor, wot do you say 'bout her?" the one guard asked. "Coz, I think she's stark raivin' mad!"

"She 'asn't stopped screamin' since she came 'ere," the other said.

"Her examination showed her to be fully in possession of her mental faculties, but she does seem to have a strange obsession with-"

"With wot?"

"Fur. Specifically, Dalmatian fur."

"Uhhh, why would she-"

"We don't know, but we do know that she was the one (along with two accomplices) to dognap those fifteen Dalmatian puppies from that home in Camden, along with _eighty-four _others!"

"That's... *counting and doing very slow mental math*"

"I'll save you the trouble of counting, that's Ninety-nine Dalmatians. We don't know what she intended to do with them because she wouldn't tell us."

"Cor! Ninety-nine Dalmatians..."

Back in the cell the woman was in a restless place of her mind. A dark corner where many unwanted thoughts and memories had been shoved, to be covered in dust and cobwebs, but they were there none the less. Tonight, in her unconscious state, with no control over her mind, they came forward unbidden. Her cold, dark surroundings helped a measure in reviving them because it felt all too familiar. The dust and cobwebs were brushed off, and the memories were as vivid and alive as ever.

**Well, there's chapter one! I just want to be clear, I've based this off of Cruella from the 1961 animated version. I will be spelling her name a little differently than most other people do, but I think Deville looks better than DeVil. They'd be pronounced the same way anyway, so I don't think it really matters. Also, if you couldn't tell, the guards are written in London Cockney dialect. I'm sorry if it bothers you but I'll be doing dialects for the rest of the story, so please bear with me!**

**Any suggestions? Chapter 2 is almost done, but I may take some into consideration.**

**Until next time!**


	2. Childhood, London1910

London 1910

Her young mind wandered aimlessly for a moment, daydreaming about the lives of the rich people she saw on her rare ventures into the nicer parts of town. _It would be sim'ly won'derf'l! To 'ave such nice clothes, an' lots 'o quid, an'-_

"Ella! Get over 'ere this instant! You 'aven't finished your chores yet, an' so you don't 'ave time for day-dreamin'!" her mother called harshly.

The little girl scurried over towards the fireplace where she had missed some of the ashes and swept them back in. She watched her mother move over towards the pot over the fire and stir its contents. Her sisters worked sad-irons, and clothing presses, and the hung the wet laundry out to dry. The room smelled of harsh carbolic soap, typical of a laundress's workplace. That pot over the fire that was mentioned before? Oh, yes, it's full of laundry -as are two others.

"Ella!" the eldest sister called. She had been folding and packing a load of finished laundry. "Get over 'ere. You see this bundle? Go put on your street clothes. I need you to take it to Baker Street. Remember, don't talk to anyone, stay out o' the way 'o the gentlef'lk, and take this 'ere _clean _laundry back to the servants door o' number 215. _NO tricks! _Got it? You be'er! Now off wi' you, and be back by dinner!"

_Oh! A nicer part o' town! Maybe there's time for somethin' fun on the way home... _Ella thought. However, out loud she meekly replied, "Yes, sis. No tricks."

No one saw the crossed fingers behind her back.

()()()

_"Clean _laundry? It is clean laundry! It only fell in a little puddle, that's nothing..."

"Wot are you talkin' 'bout? You've near ruined the Missus's nice fur day-cape! I'll 'ave to run out an' get 'er a new one b'for she gets 'ome! This one isn't fit for _anyone _to wear anymore. 'Ere. Take it back wi' you." complained one flustered housekeeper.

Ella took the cape from the housekeeper. After having received a rough whack with the sack of the so called clean-but-wet-semi-clean-and-wet laundry as punishment for her carelessness. She then went to run out the servant's door when she realized that she had forgotten to collect her family's pay. She turned and put on her most innocent face, but the house keeper regarded her coldly and held out half of what the price actually was for the large load of laundry.

"That's only 'alf o' wot you owe me family," Ella said.

"The job was only 'alf done," the housekeeper replied levelly.

Ella fixed the woman with a cold glare and snatched the money from her had. She bolted out the door and into the alley, then finally onto the street. _Everyone will be furious wi' me, an' Mum will be so disappointed that I was so careless..._ Ella thought. _I guess I'll just 'ave to get the other 'alf of wot we're owed some'ow._

A few picked pockets and a walk home later, Ella arrived back home. She gave the money to her mother, ate the meager dinner that was waiting for her on the table, and climbed up to her rickety, hard shelf to sleep. But as tired as she was, she stayed awake until everyone else in the house was asleep.

Once the room was full of deep and even breathing, Ella finally removed her patched coat to reveal the short, yet still wet, fur day-cape. She took it off and fingered it gently. It was beautiful and well made. The outside was made of a beautiful dove-grey satin with intricate black embroidery around the edges, and it was lined with the softest, finest brown rabbit fur. Ella couldn't believe that the housekeeper would say it was ruined just because it got a little bit wet! Sure, the satin was now blotchy, but the fur was still perfect and so _soft!_ Ella had never felt anything so fine and soft! To think that it was hers... _But I'll 'ave to 'ide it, _she thought. _Mum would say I couldn't take care of such a piece of clothing, and she would give it to one of the others. I cannot let that 'appen._

She then silently fingered the wall. Upon finding a particularly loose brick, she gently began to pry it out. Behind that brick was a hole that made the perfect hiding spot for anything treasure Ella might... "acquire"... The cape just barely fit once it was folded. Ella carefully slid the brick back into place, and laid down again. She pulled her overcoat back over herself to serve as a blanket, and as she began to drift off to sleep she thought to herself.

_Some day, I will live in one o' those fancy 'ouses. I'll have as many servants as I need, an' I'll never 'ave to wash clothes for anyone else again. An' I'll 'ave more capes made out o' that fur. It's so beautiful. As many capes in as many kinds of fur and as many diff'rent styles as I want..._


	3. First Job, London 1927

1927

_I still can't believe I work here._

Ella, now called by most by her full name, Cruella, looked around that the design workshop. It was a far cry from her childhood home, her mother's laundry business, everything she had ever known. Of course, she hadn't known that home for eleven years now...

War is a cruel thing. It has no mercy for anyone or anything, and an old, shabby building that housed three families on its three floors with a laundry business on the first floor was hardly something that it would spare out of mercy. In an air raid, the house had been flattened, and out of eight people in her family, only three (Cruella and two of her brothers) had survived. They were sent to an orphanage, and there they were at least given two square meals a day along with reading and very basic arithmetic lessons. Once a child there reached the age of fifteen for a boy or sixteen for a girl, they were sent to a job, but they had no say in what they were to do.

Now, the raid had completely changed Ella's life, but it also began the change of who she was... for the worse. To deal with the death of most of her family, she became angry, and notably crueler. Her name had actually always been Cruella, but Ella had always seemed like the better alternative to the strange name. However, by the time she was ten, her full name described her pretty well. Someone at the orphanage had taunted her with the fact that her last name should have been Devil, but she twisted the insult into the classier sounding DeVille, from then on using it as her legitimate surname. The name sounded unique and dangerous to her, and it fit her perfectly.

Back to the present day. Cruella now stands in the main room of her new place of employment. She is definitely one of the luckier ones, because unlike most of the orphans, Cruella has been given a job in the line of fashion- something that she enjoys _immensely_. True, right now she is just a mere seamstress, but she intends to be in a much better position by the end of the year...

She walked into her bosses office to get her instructions for the day. After a few minutes of waiting, the boss walks in, and (this being a one-of-a-kind dress shop) it is no surprise that it is a woman who owns and runs the store.

"So you are the new seamstress? Let me see... Cruella DeVille? That's... a very interesting name..." the boss said.

"It suits me fine. However, this position as a mere seamstress, well... not so much."

"Darling, you start as a seamstress, and as we see your skills and strengths, we move and promote you accordingly. Everyone is required to start at the bottom and work her way up."

"Uh-huh," replied a slightly disinterested Cruella.

"Darling, let me make one thing quite clear: You are to take pride in your work, and while you are here, you will work hard at whatever job I eventually assign you. I really couldn't care less what you do and how you act outside of this shop, but while you are in here, you are to do as your superior staff members tell you and show respect to your equals, and not rest until the final vision of the dress is complete. Do I make myself clear?" the woman said severely.

Cruella was a bit taken aback by the sudden change of mood in the boss, but she nodded her understanding and replied, "Yes mum."

"Good. We are perfectionists here. We do not put a dress out in the shop until the designer's vision is perfectly realized, no matter how long it takes. Now, I will show you to the seamstress' room."

The woman stood, and began to turn towards the door when Cruella asked suddenly, "What is your name again, mum?"

The boss turned back to her. "Ellanor Reignston, but you are to call me Miss Ellan." With that she turned and walked out the door, gesturing for Cruella to follow.


	4. On the Job

**Here's chapter four! Sorry it's short, I've been having pretty bad writer's block... and just a note from the last chapter: "mum" is the Cockney way Londoners say "ma'am".**

The seamstress' room was small and a bit cramped, but as Cruella figured, it would work for a week or so... She hoped to be promoted by then.

Unfortunately that was not the case. A week went by, then two, then three. By the fourth week she was wondering if she had been forgotten. She asked the other seamstresses how long they'd been there, and to her surprise and dismay, she found that at least four of them had been there over a year and still had no word at all on possibly being promoted or moved to a different area.

As much as she hated socializing, she decided that it may be a good idea to do so here. After all, she could gain insight from the other women and girls who had worked there longer than she had, and maybe, in doing so, she could figure out a way to get ahead.

After a few weeks, the new line of dresses for the store was finished, and the work was becoming less and less. Cruella couldn't understand why, and she was about to ask one of the older girls what was going on when a woman dressed in the latest and most sumptuous of fashion came bursting through the seamstress' room.

"Darling," she shouted to one of the seamstresses. "Where on earth is Ellanor? I simply must see her this instant, and-... well, you must be new here. I've never seen you before," she broke off -in mid thought- upon seeing Cruella.

Cruella was very surprised that this woman, who seemed to be somewhat important, had taken any notice in her. She was about to reply when the woman cut her off.

"Obviously you haven't been here very long because your clothes are even more atrocious than the ones being worn by the other girls in this room! You've been sewing my designs, so I hope you've gained a _little_ bit of fashionable taste. Ah well, no time to chit-chat about that now, darling. Do you have any idea where Ell is?"

Cruella was taken aback and quite insulted by this woman's scrutinizing her clothes, and she replied with more than a hint of sarcasm, "Um, in 'er _office?_"

"Ah, yes, that makes sense! Thank you darling," she cried out as she headed towards Ellanor's office.

"Who _was_ that woman?" Cruella asked incredulously. She was still fuming over the clothing remarks. She didn't _choose_ to dress this way! She simply couldn't _afford_ anything better right now!

"_That_," said Constance, one of the oldest seamstresses (though she was no more than twenty-five). "That, was _Madame Desdemona_," she said with annoyance. "You've been wondering why the workload has been less these past few days? Well it's because _she_ hadn't delivered the designs for next season yet. At this rate, we will be so behind..."

"So, _she_ is the one that designs the dresses? I thought that Miss Ellan did that..."

"No," replied another of the older girls, Lydia. "Ellan doesn't design the clothes, but why would she _want_ people to know that the woman you just met is the one who designs them? She's insufferable! The only reason that Miss puts up with her is because her designs _are_ very good and original, but the woman is a complete idiot! Not to mention the fact that she's also lacking in all social skills needed to sell her designs herself."

The rest of the girls then chimed in as they gossiped about their boss' eccentric "friend", but Cruella fell silent and thoughtful.

_She designs the clothes... She gets the clothes she designs... She makes good money; Miss obviously gives 'er a share of the profits... She's not __**entirely**__ lacking class... I'm smarter than she is, and I could learn to draw to make my own designs..._


	5. A New Side Job

**I'm sorry it's been a few days, and I'm sorry that this chapter is so short. However, this is an important part of the story. Things are finally starting to get going, and we're basically out of the set-up and getting into the action.**

Cruella had been waiting for the next time Madame Desdemona would visit the shop to drop off new designs. She only had to wait a few days, for Madame was a bit scatterbrained, and she had forgotten to bring a few sketches to her last visit. When she walked into the shop, Cruella grabbed a large bolt of cloth and ran out front, seemingly looking for something, and in her "haste", she "accidentally" ran right into Madame. This, of course, sent the sketches the woman had been holding to the floor.

"Oh, my goodness! Are you alright, mum?- I mean, Madame? I swear I didn't see you there! You must 'ave walked in the door just as I was going by," Cruella babbled while she gathered up the woman's drawings. "I really am very sorry, and- ...did you draw these?"

"Yes, I did, but they aren't just drawings, Darling. They're _designs!_ These are the basis for the very clothes that hang in this shop now! The very basis for the dresses and outfits that you sew! They are _the vision!_"

"You are _very _talented to be able to come up wi' these, Madame. They are _so original_! Not to mention the fact that they look even better when made than they do on paper!"

"Darling, you're too kind! They _do _take so long to think up, and then I have to draw them, and, well, Darling, it's just _exhausting!_ You wouldn't _believe_ how much work and time it takes to create _each one!_"

_Not as long as it takes to actually __**sew**__ them... _Cruella thought.

"You know, it seems to me that you need an assistant, if that's not to bold to say, Madame," Cruella offered.

"Yes, I probably could use one... but they are expensive and unreliable... Not to mention the fact that it would take positively _forever_ to find one!" Madame mused aloud.

"Well, mum-er, Madame, if it's not too forward of me, may I suggest myself? I mean, after all, I do 'elp to actually sew these _absolutely gorgeous _designs you come up with. I really wish to gain experience!"

"Well, I'm not sure... a simple Cockney seamstress should be my assistant, Darling..."

"I'm a fast learner, and I'll do it for free."

"Done, Darling. After you're finished with work here tonight, drop by my flat at this address (remember to enter through the servants' door). We'll chat some more about this."

"Thank you very much, Madame. I look forward to working with you."

"I wish I could say the feeling was mutual, but..."

As the woman hurried towards Miss Ellan's office, Cruella thought, _Perfect. I already have her right where I want her..._

**I must say that Madame Desdemona is kind of fun to write. :) **

**One last little note here: I only have 4 reviews for this story. Three of them are from BroadwayFanGirl91, and one is me replying to her comments. A big thank you to you, BroadwayFanGirl91! However, I know that she is not the only one reading this story, so please (even if it's just one or two words) let me know what you think! This story is getting hard to write, and I would really appreciate it if anyone has any suggestions!**

**Okay, I'll get off of my soapbox now. I'll try to have at least two more chapters done this week, but I can't guarantee anything...**


	6. Laying the Plans

**Sorry this is so short. It's more of a filler chapter with the set-up for the big events to happen in the next chapter.**

Cruella hadn't lied. She was a _very _fast learner, and true to her word, she worked for Madame Desdemona for free. She worked very hard to learn to draw, so that Madame could describe a design to her while she drew it out. It was much more efficient to work that way. Cruella would work from six until nine in the evening at Madame's home studio drawing up the designs and even sewing prototypes for them.

However, when Madame would take a break and leave the room, Cruella took that as an opportunity to draw a few of her own designs. When she delivered the sketches to Miss Ellan, she always made sure to put just one of her own designs in with the pile. She would then make sure that she was assigned to sewing her own design to be sure it was everything she had imagined.

Of course Cruella made sure that her own sketches matched the theme of the rest of Madame's line, but there was one distinguishing touch that marked all of Cruella's sketches as her own: fur. There was always at least one little piece of the outfit that included fur, whether it was the cuffs of the sleeves, the hem of the skirt, or even the neckline. Ever since that housekeeper had given her the fur cape, Cruella had loved fur. It made her feel warm and protected in a way that nothing else could, not to mention the fact that it was just so _beautiful!_ So many different textures, colors, patterns, thicknesses... oh, she could go on and on!

Madame noticed how excited Cruella seemed when they would discuss furs for the designs, and she simply couldn't understand what the fixation was. Sure furs were _nice,_ but, personally, she preferred silks and satins with velvet. Unfortunately, Madame's scatterbrained mind was not able to focus on this query for more than five seconds at a time, so she never gave it much thought. This also meant that she didn't notice it when Cruella started putting more of her own designs and less of Madame's in the sketches to give to Miss Ellan.

After a little over a year of this arrangement,-with Cruella drawing what was dictated to her, giving small suggestions, and then delivering the designs- she decided to take a drastic step: she was going to offer Miss Ellan a pile of nothing but her own designs.

**As almost every author on here says: Please Read and Review!**


	7. The Proposition

"Come in," Miss Ellan called.

Cruella opened the door swiftly, and strode into the room purposefully.

"Yes, what is it Cruella?"

"I have some design sketches for you," she said while placing the drawings on Miss Ellan's desk.

Miss Ellan looked at the pile that had been set on her desk. She knew that Cruella had been doing the drawings for Madame Desdemona, but these did not seem quite like the styles Madame came up with. Madame designed things that were very detailed and had many fine fabrics in them, and she liked feathers. All of these drawings included very simple dresses paired with accessories that were meant to be the main attraction. Most notably, almost all of the accessories included fur. There were many fur coats and handbags, as well as some various fur stoles. One of the dresses had fur lining the bottom as a trim, and one outfit even had fur on the shoes.

"These are not from the mind of Mona, are they? I can tell that they aren't her style."

"No, they aren't hers. They're mine. I would like you to consider sewing my own personal designs as well as hers."

"These are very, well, different -almost avant gard-, and I don't know how they would sell."

"Madame says that fashion is about being on the cutting edge, and I can say with certainty that while her designs are nice, they are most certainly _not _cutting edge. Her last three collections have been filled with basically all of the same dress, just with different fabrics and slightly different decoration. I took a walk around town the other day, and I looked in all of our competitors' windows. I saw that they all have exciting different designs. Then there's us. I won't ask to see what our profits have been the last season , but I'm sure they've been down.

"I also happen to know that my designs will sell. I'm sure you've noticed that in each of the last few collections, there has been one design like these in each. Well, those were mine too. I figured I might as well put one in to see what other peoples' reactions would be. And do you know what? They've been very favorable, very favorable indeed! Why, my designs have been some of the first to be sold with each new collection! You can't deny that! These will _sell! _People won't be able to get enough of them, an-"

"Have you been taking speech lessons?" Miss Ellan interrupted.

Cruella was fuming at the interruption, but she answered, "I don't see what that has to do with anything, but yes, I have. Madame wouldn't let me work for her otherwise."

"I see. Now, honestly Miss Cruella, what is it you _really _want?"

"I want you to sell my designs. If you don't want to pay the other girls to make them, then fine I'll make them all myself... and I'll take them with me to another shop."

"If I refuse, you'll quit? _That_ is your leverage? That is simply pathetic, dear."

"Not just me, Darling. Every seamstress that works here in your shop will walk too."

"You're bluffing."

"Do you want to bet?" Cruella whispered while leaning in towards Ellan. "Look at this. It is a legal agreement I asked the girls to sign. They know that I've been designing, and they all agreed they'd rather work for me and make my designs than continue to have to sew the designs of that self-proclaimed _genius_ Desdemona. You would lose your entire workforce, and when I open my own shop, you would have to compete with me. Now something tells me that a woman owning a dress shop with no one to sew the dresses for her would be very weak competition," Cruella finished with a sneer.

**Ooh, cliffhanger! Will the boss except? Is Cruella lying? Wait and see...!**

**As always please, please review. Or I might send Cruella after you... XD**


	8. The Decision

**Here's chapter eight. You might want to re-read chapter seven to refresh your memory on what's going on right now. And a special thank you to BroadwayFanGirl91 for continuing to review and give words of encouragement!**

Ellanor stared at Cruella for a moment. Cruella saw the woman weighing what had just been said in her mind. In all honesty, Cruella only had the signatures of three of the girls. That would leave nine of them still working here, and _Cruella_ knew that that would tilt the chances of in Ellan's favor, but _Ellan _didn't know that.

"So, what's it going to be, Darling?"

Ellan was still staring at Cruella. "After all we've done for you, myself as well as Mona, you would still throw both of us to the curb? If I refuse, I condemn myself as well as Mona, but if I agree, I will crush her! After all we've done for you, you'd have me chose this?"

"After _all you've done for me?_ My dear _Miss Ellan_, neither of you has done _anything _for me! I work fourteen hours a day between the two of you! And for what? A mere _four pounds a day? Twenty pounds a week?_ I barely live! I don't eat more than once a day, I can barely pay my rent, I've worked here over a year, and I still haven't been given a raise or promotion, _despite _the fact that I work my_ bloody _behind off_ every day _for_ you! _Yes! I _dare _ to do this because I don't intend to spend the rest of my life in mediocrity, living on the margins of life itself! The same goes for all of the girls who agreed to walk if I do... So what is your decision?"

Ellan was stunned by this speech, and she still couldn't think what to do. Unfortunately, it seemed like there was only one thing that she _could_ do.

"Alright. We will make and sell _your_ designs, but please, let us still make a _few_ of Mona's designs. I can't just throw her to the curb like that. Five this month, and one less with each progressing month, until... until we are just producing _your _designs," Ellan conceded dejectedly.

"Fine. But _you_ will do all of the dealing with _Madame Desdemona. _The girls and I cannot stand her any longer, and if she is too bothersome to us, well, I'm just not sure what we'd do..."

"I'll take care of her. Now please, go. You can take the rest of the day off, I don't want to see you again for the rest of the day, and I will have the girls start on your designs."

"Thank you Miss Ellan. Oh! I almost forgot. There is one more thing..."

"If it will get you out of my office faster, then the answer to whatever it is, is yes."

"Oh good! So I will expect fifty pounds a week now. Thank you Miss. You are _most_ generous. Good day," Cruella said triumphantly as she left the room.

_God! Fifty pounds a week! We're nearly bankrupt as it is, and now I agreed to pay her FIFTY POUNDS a WEEK? What am I going to do?_

Meanwhile, outside, Cruella was on her way to Madame's house with a smirk on her face, to deliver the good news in person.

_It's always better to be able to see the look on their faces as you give them devastating news..._

**Oh, Cruella is such a nasty girl! Thank you to those who read, and especially to those who review. Please, I know that there's a lot of you reading this, take the time to push the review button and just give me a few words on what you think! Also, the chapters may be slower in comming now. The THING that lasts 180 weekdays of each year of my life from late August to early June, starts tomorrow.**

**And finally, if you have a suggestion for another Disney Villain that you would be interested in seeing a backstory written for, send me a PM. I'm taking suggestions becuase I'm torn between a few villains for a new story right now.**


	9. A Taste of Success

**Sorry for such a short chapter. Maybe if more people reviewed, I'd write longer ones... **

**Just kidding. School is BRUTAL. Three hours of homework just for Spanish class last night. Ugh. Needless to say updates will be slow, and probably short in comming. We are starting towards the events that happen in the movie here now.**

"Look girls! _ One thousand pounds! _ For just three dresses!"

The girls who worked in the sewing room stared at the large wad of banknotes with wide eyes.

"Coo, you were right Cruella! I've never seen that much money in me life!" exclaimed one of the newer, younger seamstresses.

"I've got to hand it to you Cruella, that's more than we ever could have dreamed of making while we were still sewing _Madame _Desde-_moan-_a's designs! And that's just for us?" Constance asked.

"Yes, my dears! This is to be divided amongst all of you!" Cruella said while waving the wad over her head.

"What about your pay?" asked Lydia.

"I've received it, don't worry about me." _I'm sure I don't worry about you._

"Soon you'll be able to run this store! Oh, just think! Miss Ellan is fine and all, but she doesn't have the business head that you do, dear! We'd all have so much money..."

Constance continued to talk, but Cruella wasn't listening anymore. She was thinking about the gorgeous fur coat she'd seen in a store window a few weeks ago. She had her share of the money earned (fifty for each dress in addition to her regular weekly pay), and she intended to buy herself a congratulations gift with some of it.

_I may be saving, but that doesn't mean that I can't buy myself a little treat, now does it?_

"Don't worry girls, there will be plenty more where _that_ came from!" Cruella called as she left the room and walked out of the shop.

_They do work very hard. They deserve a bit of a treat. And what they said about Ellan... well, it's true. Perhaps it is a good time to get a business partner... or become one._


	10. New Partner, New Store, & New Intern

**Hello, I'm back! School hasn't killed me (yet), but it has been taking up pretty much all of my time. I've had so much homework, you wouldn't believe it, but you don't really care now do you? I thought not.**

**So here is chapter 10! Woohoo! I'm proud of myself for being able to write a 10 chapter fic. We are getting close to the end here because we're now up to the point where other characters from the movie are being introduced.**

"You want me to _what?_" Ellanor asked incredulously.

"I want you to become my business partner," Cruella replied levelly.

"Are you forgetting that _**I**_ own this store? That _**I**_ am still _your _boss?"

"Hmmm... that _is_ a problem... how about this? _I _take over the store, and _you_ become _my _ partner."

"Are you _mad?_ I will not give up the store! Not to _you_ at least. I can fire you right now. Has that crossed your mind? I can throw you to the curb right now! And then where would you be?"

"What kind of idiotic question is that? On the curb of course, but I could stand up, walk to another store, and take all of your girls with me too. Of course... we could also just... throw _you_ to the curb."

"You can't."

"I can, and I gladly would."

()()()

Needless to say, Cruella had many wicked tricks up her sleeve to be able to get what she wanted, and she did get what she wanted. Ellanor became Cruella's business partner that afternoon, and Cruella became the head of the store. After about three months, Ellanor was fired, and Cruella became the owner of the store, as well as continuing to be its designer. However, after about a year, it became apparent that she would not be able to run everything and still design all of the clothes. After coming to this conclusion, she assigned Constance to draw up three quarters of the designs while Lydia designed the other quarter. All of the designs had to pass Cruella's inspection though, before they were allowed to be sewn.

The designs could be anything the girls imagined, but there was always one thing that Cruella mandated: each design _had_ to involve a piece with fur. Cruella's passion was slowly becoming more of an obsession. Everything she wore had fur, and as time passed, she began to look for more exotic furs than just plain rabbit, or sable, or even mink.

Cruella also became more domineering as time went on. Her cruelty, which she had hidden from the other seamstresses while she had worked with them, became more apparent with each passing month. At first, she merely yelled at them, but then after another year, she began to scream at them and even insult them if things were not exactly to her liking.

In 1930, business was doing so well that Cruella was able to move the shop to a larger building in Belgravia, where all of the designer and coture shops were (and still are). She began to hire more seamstresses, and she also began to take on a few more designers.

Things ran smoothly until August of that year, when Constance and Cruella got into a bitter fight, and Constance left the shop in hopes of being able to open her own. She never did because somehow, every time she was ready to open, her store was mysteriously trashed and her workshop sacked. Cruella always remarked "what an absolute shame" it was that the "poor dear" had such "terrible misfortune". Yet for her words of sympathy, it seemed that Cruella was never very sorry when that happened. In fact, her worker whispered that she actually seemed a bit pleased with the events. In any case, it had no effect on their business.

At thirty years old, Cruella was one of the most successful business women in London. Her store and studio were thriving, she made thousands of pounds per year, and most importantly of all (to her) she had all access to all the fur she could ever want. But despite this, she always wanted more...

()()()

In the spring of 1935, Cruella did something she had never done before: she accepted an orphan to work at her shop, just as she had been accepted to Ellanor's store nine years before. However, this girl was only fifteen at the time. She was sent there because the orphanage she had lived at was becoming incredibly crowded, and since the young girl was very polite, respectful, and hardworking, it was assumed that she had a better chance of making it in a career than many of the other children did. The girl's name was Anita.

**Okay, I know that in the live-action movie they show that Anita worked for Cruella. I'm not writing this to follow that at all. I had the idea before I saw the live action movie. I actually found out that in the 60's animated version, Anita was supposed to have been a school chum of Cruella's but I think that's kind of unlikely (and quite honestly I think a little boring. I don't want to write about school!). I'll try to update again as soon as I can!**

**A note on location: Belgravia is a high-end part of London, where (at least today) all of the fancy, expensive designer shops are. I'm not sure if it was the same way in the 1920's and 30's, but if not let's just pretend that it was...**

**O****h, and by the way (since I don't think I've put this anywhere in the story so far), I don't own 101 Dalmatians and I don't own the characters. All I own is the plot, and the characters I made up.**

**Please review! Cruella is standing here reading over my shoulder as I type, screaming at me to make people review... so please review, because she will take her anger out on me if you don't... **

**NO CRUELLA, I CANNOT FORCE PEOPLE TO REVIEW!**


	11. A Meeting and a Tour

**Hello! I am alive!**

**I'm sorry it's been so long. School rules my life. That and piano, voice lessons, and musical auditions. Here's a little reminder of what's going on: Cruella's business is thriving, and she just took on a new girl from an orphanage like Miss Ellan did for her all those years ago. The girl's name in Anita.**

* * *

><p>Cruella wasn't thrilled with taking in the new girl, but she figured that getting a new seamstress who was so young might be an advantage somehow. Everything in Cruella's mind was business. Well, everything that wasn't fur.<p>

The day Anita arrived at the shop was very close to the unveiling of the summer collection. The shop, while seeming calm and collected in the storefront, was a veritable madhouse in the workshops behind and above it. Seamstresses rushed around with half and nearly finished pieces of clothing and accessories. The whirr of sewing machines mixed with the shouting voices of the workers was near deafening.

Anita walked through the shop, narrowly avoiding being trampled by the other frantic employees. She walked up a flight of stairs in the back up to the second floor where Cruella's office was, knocked on the door, and waited. She could hear someone yelling inside the door.

After a few moments, a seamstress came out of the office looking scarred. Anita watched the girl with sympathy, but the seamstress turned to her and said, "You the new girl? Take this advice: Turn right 'round an' go back to where evah you came frum," and hurried away. Obviously this in not the sort of comment Anita was hoping to hear from a future co-worker, but she was not about to let the comment frighten her. She knocked on the door again.

()()()

Cruella sat at her desk, fuming.

_How dare that idiot try to change the design! Of course it can be sewn! It simply would not be any good if the fur capett was removed..._

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knocking on the door. Something in the back of Cruella's mind clicked and reminded her that the new girl was supposed to come today.

"Come in," she said with as much restraint as she could muster in a few seconds. She watched as a young woman... no, a girl really, opened the door and walked into the room. She had brown hair that was swept back into a braided bun, and plain (orphanage) clothing. "You must be the new girl from... oh what was the name of the place?" Cruella's agitation was clear, but Anita remained composed.

"St. John's Orphanage, mum," she replied simply.

"Yes, that place. Well, you are to start here as a seamstress tomorrow. I was going to have an assistant give you a tour of the workshops, but I need to take a walk, so I'll show you around myself. What is your name again?"  
>"Anita, mum."<p>

"Hmm... a rather nice name, but darling, we must break you of that horrid accent. It's perfectly wretched to listen to!"

"Yes mu- I mean... Ms?"

"That will do for now."

* * *

><p><strong>Now, some important announcements:<strong>

**I'm trying to finish this story up. Hopefully I will finish writing it tomorrow and have it posted by Saturday.**

**I have another story I want to write for Halloween about Master Gracey from the Haunted Mansion, so I'm officially putting my LND, POTO, and Finding Nemo crossover on hold.**

**If you want to vote on my character poll on my profile, do so soon! I'm closing the poll in a week, and who ever wins, I'm going to write a story about.**

**That's it for now.**

**Side note to BroadwayFanGirl91: I saw Lion King 3D last Saturday, and it was EPIC! XD**


	12. 1935 to 1943

It was quite surprising, but Cruella didn't find Anita anywhere near as cumbersome and boring as she expected her to be.

_For being only fifteen, she's got a good eye for this, and she's smart too..._ Cruella mused to herself as she looked on while Anita was looking through some fabrics.

Just then Anita stopped. She had found one of the designs that had accidentally gotten mixed in with the piles of fabric. It was a dress that had been giving everyone at the shop trouble. They could not find a fur for its design that satisfied Cruella.

Anita looked up at Cruella. "Is this one of the new dresses?"

"Oh, that one. Yes, it would be except for the fact that the idiots who work down here haven't the slightest idea of _how_ to match decent fabrics with decent furs!"

"Not meaning to overstep my limits, but maybe some grey fur rather than black? It might look better since the main fabric of the dress is so pale..."

Cruella snatched the drawing from Anita's hands and considered the suggestion for all of half a second.

"My dear, that is a simply _marvelous _idea!"

()()()

From then on, Anita became somewhat of a personal assistant to Cruella. She had a final say in the designs and fabrics used, and she took care of errands for Cruella. Meanwhile, she was also taking elocution lessons to rid her of her Cockney accent (what little of it there was) and drawing lessons to be able to draw up some designs on her own.

As hard as it was for everyone else to believe, it seemed that Cruella had a bit of a soft spot for the girl. Perhaps it was because somewhere in the back of her mind she saw herself in Anita. _She's much less ambitious than I ever was though... you can't really be in this business (or advance in it at least) without ambition._

But that wasn't really a bad thing considering that it meant that there was no chance of her ever becoming competition of Cruella's. That was the most likely reason for the kind (at least as far as that term can go when describing Cruella...) treatment the girl received.

By the time Anita was twenty, she was running most of the business for Cruella. She managed finances, designed clothes, and kept the shop and workshop in order. Under Anita, things ran smoothly because everyone was happy to comply with the sweet young lady. They no longer had to put up with Cruella's rants and raves about how there wasn't enough fur on the cuffs, how the coat wasn't long enough, how everything everyone did was wrong and idiotic if they didn't do it her way...

All Cruella had to do now was see what pieces from each new collection she wanted for herself. It was around this time that she started to become more eccentric. Having extra time on her hands, she decided that she would buy herself a new house... Make that a new mansion. She also began to wear the more outrageous fur pieces that she would later become unanimous with. She also tried a new hairstyle.

"Oh darling, it's simply marvelous! Brown hair clashes with so many things, red is hideous, and blonde just isn't me. With this look, it doesn't matter what I wear, my hair will always match!"

"It certainly is... uh, creative Cruella," said Anita tentatively.

"Black and white are classic, dear. This will never go out..."

She was right, considering that she kept it half black and half white evermore. (However, she did change the actual style of it a few times.)

()()()

By the time 1943 came, Anita was running the store still, but she had also been taking lessons in other things on the side. She didn't want to run a dress shop for her entire life. Sure, there was nothing really wrong with it, but she just wanted something else, and she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was...

In July of that year, Anita finally mustered the courage to ask Cruella if she could move on. To what she still wasn't sure, but she was certain she would know when the time or opportunity came.

She knocked on the door to Cruella's office, noting with relief that the woman had actually decided to come in today.

"If it's anyone other than Anita, go away."

Anita turned the knob and walked in.

"Yes, what is it darling?"

"Cruella, I've been meaning to ask you something..."

"Ah yes, I've been meaning to ask you something too lately. It's about this new design here of yours. Now, I was thinking that-"

"Please Cruella, this is doesn't have to do with the designs or the shop, but it is very important."

"Oh, now it can't be as important as this! Now, what was I saying..."

"Cruella, I'm sorry, but I must have you hear me out right now!"

This sudden outburst from Anita startled Cruella. In eight years, she had never heard the girl raise her voice, and Cruella certainly didn't like having it raised at her.

"All right then... what is it?" she asked with an impatient bite to her voice.

"Cruella, I've worked here for eight years now. I really have loved it, but the store is doing so well now, and I don't think you... I don't think you really... need me now."

"What do you mean?"

"I enjoy this job very much, but Cruella, I feel like there's something else out there for me now. Like maybe someone else needs me." She could see Cruella beginning to get angry. "Now I don't mean that I would go work for a competitor! Nothing like that! I mean that I'd like to try something completely different..."

Cruella's mind was racing. _I can't lose her now! She makes things go so smoothly, and the profits are skyrocketing, and how could she be so ungrateful! And-_

Outwardly she said, "And what do you expect me to say? Just give you my blessing as you walk away after all I've done for you?" She was beginning to lose control.

"I did make a plan for this. Will you hear what it is?"

"I don't see why on Earth I should, but I will."

"I've sent word to St. John's. You recall, that's the orphanage I came from. I went there, and I met a bunch of girls. I basically interviewed them, and I found one that I think could do an even better job of managing the store than I can. If you will allow me to bring her here and teach her, then you would have someone to replace me already, and I could move on."

Cruella was silent. This made Anita very uneasy because Cruella was _never_ silent. Finally she spoke.

"Alright. You have my consent."

And so the cycle started all over again just as it had gone with Cruella herself, then Anita.


	13. Moving On

**Second to last chapter here. This one is more from Anita's point of view than Cruella's. The next chapter will be a kind of epilogue.**

**We're into events from the movie now...**

* * *

><p>After three months of training, Anita felt the new girl was ready. She went up to Cruella's office and knocked on the door. Cruella raised an inquisitive eyebrow when the younger woman walked into the office.<br>"She's ready, I'm sure of it."  
>"Well then darling, this is what we'll do to put her to the test. She will take over for you for one week. Consider it a vacation for you. If I am pleased with her work, then she will take over permanently, and you may take your leave. If not, then you must find another to train to take your place."<br>"When may she start?"  
>"Tomorrow."<p>

()()()

Much to Anita's relief, the girl did prove to be completely adept at the position, and she was free to go.  
>"On one condition, however," Cruella stated.<br>"Yes?"  
>"You stay in touch," was the reply. Anita couldn't be sure, but Cruella looked almost sad as she said this. She couldn't believe it, and though she had really wanted to completely leave the shop behind, she could not say no to Cruella just then.<br>"Of course I will. I'll come visit here, and I'll write to you."  
>"Oh thank you darling. I couldn't imagine not being able to see you again!"<br>Anita felt good as she left the shop, but she couldn't know that agreeing to Cruella's request would lead to much trouble in the future...

()()()

Years passed, and during that time, Anita found a job managing at a local animal shelter. She had always loved animals, but obviously she had never owned a pet. Pets are not allowed in orphanages.

It was in 1945 that Anita adopted Perdita. She was just a puppy at the time, and Anita didn't even know that she was a Dalmatian because no spots had appeared yet. It was love at first sight between the human and puppy though, and they made each other so happy. Little did Anita know that Perdita would bring her even greater happiness still...

()()()

Anita had never imagined being married. Oh sure, she left the shop because she wanted something else in her life, but she had never thought that it would be marriage! Much less to the man who's dog (another Dalmatian, what were the chances of that?) had plunged the two of them into the pond in the park! But life was funny that way sometimes, and she had no reason to complain. The only thorn in her side was the fact that Cruella had remembered their agreement, and she "dropped by" every once in a while to "Just say hello darling!"

There was also the fact that Roger did not like Cruella. Anita had to admit to herself that the woman seemed terribly out of place in their home when she came to visit, and she was quite insulting to them, whether she knew it or not. But there was just no way Anita could tell Cruella to not visit any more. It would be terribly rude and...

Well, when she was quite honest with herself, it was more than a fear of being rude. It was a fear of what Cruella would do if they told her to go away. The woman had always been eccentric, but it seemed that she was worse every time she came to visit; her behavior was more vulgar, her clothes more outrageous. It seemed each time she came she had a new fur coat...

Anita had never really approved of Cruella's passion for fur. It had always struck her as a bit sick for a person to wear the skin of another living thing for their own adornment. Lately Cruella's passion seemed to be turning into an obsession, and that left Anita feeling very unsettled. When she asked about Cruella's newest coat during her last visit, the woman had replied, "Oh yes, darling. I simply adore furs, I live for furs!" And then there was that way that she mentioned Pongo, Perdita, and the puppies...

No, something was definitely not right...


	14. Epilogue

"Oh, they're... they're _hideous! _ Disgusting little rats! Where are the spots?"

"They won't get their spots for a month or so yet."

"Oh,... well in that case, I'd like all of them."

"No!"

Cruella raised her gaze to the scrawny man in front of her. "_What?"_

"You can't have them. Any of them. We're... we're keeping them all."

"Oh please. You can't possible care for all of them. Why, you can barely feed yourselves!"

"We'll find a way to manage," Anita responded levelly.

Cruella couldn't believe it. _I can't believe they're saying no! _

"Right, you're not taking any of them, and that's final!" Cruella could hardly believe that the _composer_ was the one standing in her way here.

"Fine!... You'll regret not taking this offer!" she yelled as she stormed out the door. _Oh yes you will. I will have those puppies if it's the last thing I do!_

()()()

Anita was right. It was an obsession. Her every thought revolved around getting enough puppies to have enough fur to make a new coat. She didn't care what she had to do to get them, and any shred of humanity Cruella had left fell away and was replaced by insanity.

()()()

Her mind reeled as she crawled out of her car after it landed in the ditch. She heard sirens above, and all she could do was glare at Horace and Jasper with pure contempt and shout, "You idiots, IDIOTS!" through sobs. She knew it was all over.

()()()

She woke to find herself screaming in her sleep. She looked around at the jail cell that would now be her home for quite some time. She shivered under her thin blanket, longing for her furs more than ever, but somehow she managed to fall back to sleep for a while longer.

She was awakened by a guard hitting the bars and shouting to her that she had a visitor. _Who the hell would visit me? _she thought. She walked over to the bars and looked into the hallway. The person standing there was the last one she would have expected to see.

Anita walked closer to the bars, but not too close. She was holding a bundle of something in her arms. She looked Cruella straight in the eye and said simply, "I know you may not comprehend this now, but I forgive you."

With that, she shoved the bundle through the bars, and left.

Cruella stared at the bundle and slowly unwrapped it. Inside was her nicest fur coat. She stared at it for a moment in disbelief.

She held it to her face and cried for the first time in her life.

* * *

><p><strong>I'm sorry if I got the dialogue wrong for the scene from the movie. I've only seen it once. :**

**Anyway, thank you to all of you who've read my first multi-chapter story. I'm proud of it, and I hope you enjoyed it. I'd like to give a special big thank you to BroadwayFanGirl91 for her support and encouragement in reviewing all of my stories and each chapter of this one.**

**If you haven't already, I suggest you read my first Disney Villain's Backstory: "Flashed Before Her Eyes" about Mother Gothel. **

**Thank you again and please review to let me know what you thought!**


End file.
